Category News

On the blog: Climate City Contract for a society where we all thrive

21 December 2020

The report "100 climate-neutral cities by 2030 - by and for the citizens", proposes the development of a "multi-level and co-creative process formalized in a Climate City Contract, adjusted to the realities of each city". In Sweden, nine cities signed Climate City Contract 2030 on 11 December, along with four national government agencies and Viable Cities. In this blog post, Viable Cities and Dark Matter Laboratories explore how we democratically create commitments to transition to sustainable and climate-neutral cities.

SIP 2.0 in the government's research and innovation proposal

18 December 2020

On December 17, the government presented the research and innovation bill that sets the direction of Sweden's research policy for the next four years. The next generation of strategic innovation programs are included.

Four projects to contribute to energy-positive neighbourhoods in Europe

18 December 2020

It is now clear which projects have been granted funds in the call for Energy Positive Neighbourhoods, a collaboration between Viable Cities and JPI Urban Europe. Cities4PEDs, Interact, PED-ID and Trans-PED, all with Swedish partners, are now tasked with facilitating learning between cities and countries to create energy positive neighbourhoods in Europe.

Climate Breakfast 6: How Lund consolidates its sustainability communications

13 December 2020

To transition to climate-neutral and sustainable cities, we need to communicate with citizens, business and many other stakeholders. In this climate breakfast, communication strategist Therese Ek talks about how Lund municipality works to coordinate sustainability communication. We also get reflections on the topic from Annika Egan Sjölander, who researches communication for sustainable societies.

Europe's first Climate City Contract signed in Sweden today

11 December 2020

Today, December 11, 2020, is a big day for the climate transition in cities. The first climate contracts in Europe have now been signed by the political leadership of nine Swedish cities as well as by the Directors-General of four government agencies and Viable Cities. "Swedish cities are now taking the lead in Europe," says Allan Larsson, Chairman of the Board of Viable Cities.

On the blog: Communication for climate change adaptation in municipalities

6 December 2020

A municipality is its residents, its businesses, its visitors, its associations and all the other people who inhabit or visit the place. As an organization, the municipality can do a lot for the climate - but we can never become a climate-neutral city by 2030 without doing it together with everyone else in the place. And here, communication has a very important role to play. So writes Therese Ek, communications strategist in Lund on our blog.

On the blog: Preparing to scale climate solutions in cities

30 November 2020

In November this year, we launched the first stage of the Climate Smart Cities Challenge. With this initiative, we hope to find the most important challenges to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implement the most promising solutions in cities globally. But what does it take to scale climate solutions in cities?

On the blog: Cities outpacing nations in climate change transition

28 November 2020

During the EU Week of Regions&Cities, the Covenants of Mayors brought together a wide range of cities and regions. The seminar Governance models for climate neutrality showed that cities and regions are moving faster towards climate change than nations. This is what portfolio strategist Lena Holmberg says in a blog post.

Climate Breakfast 5: Innovation leadership for climate neutral and sustainable cities

26 November 2020

How do you work long-term and systematically with innovation? Vinnova and Viable Cities are now launching a project to develop skills, methods and tools for innovation management for climate-neutral and sustainable cities. Climate Breakfast 5 was hosted by Glenn Gran from Vinnova, Lisa Olsson, City of Helsingborg and Ellen Grahn, Umeå Municipality.

Storytelling blog: In what kind of forest does Little Red Riding Hood meet the wolf?

21 November 2020

Stories about how good everyday life in the climate-smart city will be are, in a way, a fairy tale because they are not yet true. Our chief storyteller Per Grankvist explains why some of the most common fairy tales include site-specific details that make them more believable, and why it's important for urban planners to follow suit.

How digital tools can speed up the climate transition

20 November 2020

Digital tools can be used in many different ways to accelerate the climate transition. During Transition Lab Forum 4, a workshop entitled "Digital tools for transition in practical climate work" was held to provide an insight into what tools exist, how they can be used and why.

On the blog: Right now in Järfälla - an old airport becomes a sustainable neighbourhood

18 November 2020

Self-driving buses, collaboration with construction companies and an ambitious carbon budget. These are some of the things happening in Järfälla municipality as they work towards a climate-neutral city. Read more about the construction of the new Barkarbystaden area in the fourth blog post from the cities in the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative. Progress reports from Enköping, Växjö and Lund have already been published.

Climate Breakfast 4: Future mobility in climate neutral, sustainable and accessible cities

11 November 2020

Climate Breakfast 4 was organized in collaboration with Drive Sweden and focused on different pieces of the puzzle that are necessary in the transition to a transport system that is sustainable, safe and accessible to all.

Press release: Global open call - Climate Smart Cities Challenge

November 9, 2020

The Climate Smart Cities Challenge is an invitation to cities around the world to participate in a competition aimed at stimulating and scaling up innovative solutions for the climate transition. The competition gives cities the opportunity to work with a global pool of experts to stimulate and scale up innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create other social benefits in cities.

Transition Lab Forum 4: Digital tools shift the climate transition into high gear

November 9, 2020

Transition Lab Forum 4, which was organized together with the City of Gothenburg, focused on how digital tools can help us move faster on the road to climate-neutral cities.

We offered practical inspiration and good examples from Sweden and abroad, reflections with politicians and experts, and a digital study visit to Gothenburg.

Climate Breakfast 3: Financial transition for climate-neutral cities

29 October 2020

Our third climate breakfast was about financing the climate transition. Viable Cities' Finance and Procurement Strategist Charlotta Möller introduced the topic, followed by a discussion with Fedra Vanhuyse, Head of Unit Societal Transitions, Stockholm Environmental Institute, and Björn Bergstrand, Head of Sustainability, Kommuninvest.

Climate Breakfast 2: How to visualize the climate transition

15 October 2020

Several Swedish cities are working on the transition to climate-neutral cities in 2030 within the framework of Viable Cities. During Climate Breakfast 2, Umeå, Uppsala and Malmö shared their experiences from the work of visualizing the climate transition based on some development projects where different tools have been used.

On the blog: Towards climate-neutral cities in 2030 - currently in Lund, Sweden

6 October 2020

Lund municipality has achieved its climate targets for 2020 - they have reduced their emissions by 50 percent between 1990-2020 for the entire geographical area of the municipality. Thea Ohlander Arfwidsson, Project Manager Climate Neutral Lund 2030 and Therese Ek, Communications Strategist, tell us more about what is happening in Lund Municipality right now on our blog.

On the blog: Five ways to involve citizens in the climate transition - for real

5 October 2020

Edward Andersson, Democratic Society, spoke at Viable Cities' first climate breakfast on the theme of citizen involvement in the climate transition - for real. On our blog, he and his colleague Namita Kambli develop their thoughts on this topic.

Climate breakfast 1: 5 ways to involve citizens in the climate transition - for real

30 September 2020

On September 30, Viable Cities held its first climate breakfast. Guests were Edward Andersson from Democratic Society, who gave concrete tips on how to develop citizen engagement and Charlotte Gustafsson-Brynielsson from Växjö reflected on how they work with it in Växjö.

Working together for climate neutral cities - from Umeå to the EU

21 September 2020

"It always seems impossible until it is done." Maria Vassilakou, EU mission board on climate neutral cities, quoted Nelson Mandela when she attended Transition Lab Forum 3, September 16-17.

She was one of many speakers who, over two days, gave strength and inspiration to continue working on the mission: Climate Neutral Cities 2030.

On the blog: Towards climate-neutral cities by 2030 - Right now in Enköping.

15 September 2020

The municipality of Enköping is testing new solutions at Myran, a 74 hectare development area in the municipality, to learn and achieve the goal of a completely climate-neutral municipality by 2030. They are also giving young people a voice in urban development. On our blog, project manager Thomas Adlercreutz explains the current situation.

Engaging citizens in the climate transition

14 September 2020

Achieving the profound climate transition we need requires cooperation between all members of society at a level never seen before. Citizen engagement and local Climate City Contract is the theme of the Viable Cities Transition Lab Forum 3, on September 16-17 (press release).

Storytelling blog: What cities can learn from car manufacturers

21 August 2020

At regular intervals, our chief storyteller Per Grankvist will write about his reflections on storytelling as a tool, based on what we do, meetings we have and ideas from people and projects we are inspired by. The article series is part of the development of a model for engaging storytelling, the first version of which will be completed before the end of the year.

On the blog: Navigating Missions for Climate Neutral Cities

18 August 2020

In this article, Kes McCormick, program coordinator for the Sharing Cities Sweden initiative, briefly present the mission's approach with a focus on climate-neutral cities, which raises both exciting opportunities and vexing questions.

On the blog: Towards climate-neutral cities in 2030 - Currently in Växjö, Sweden

13 August 2020

Enköping, Gothenburg, Järfälla, Lund, Malmö, Stockholm, Umeå, Uppsala and Växjö. These nine Swedish cities will lead the way, testing and experimenting to inspire and accelerate the work towards the mission: Climate Neutral Cities 2030 - with a good life for all within the limits of the planet. In a series of blog posts from the nine cities, we can follow their work. First up is Växjö municipality.

Helsingborg in final of European Capital of Innovation 2020

12 August 2020

The city of Helsingborg is one of 12 finalists in the European Capital of Innovation 2020. The winning city, announced during the European Research and Innovation Days (September 22-24), will receive one million Euros. We keep our fingers crossed.

External evaluation: Viable Cities gives Sweden international visibility

5 August 2020

Through the strategic innovation program Viable Cities, Sweden has become internationally visible as a country at the forefront of climate and sustainability in cities. This is shown by an evaluation three years after the start of the program.

On the blog: Declaration with a capital D

July 17, 2020

Within Viable Cities, we have felt the need to develop a text that can frame the work we do together to achieve our common mission: climate-neutral cities with a good life for all within the boundaries of the planet. Our Chief Storyteller Per Grankvist has formulated this in the Declaration.

Sweden Local2030 Hub to support local efforts

18 June 2020

To support the local implementation of the SDGs, the Local 2030 Sweden Hub has been formed, a network of organizations in Sweden and the Nordic region that will work together to promote local sustainable urban development. Viable Cities is one of the members.

Viable Cities in new Nordic partnership for climate-neutral cities by 2030

15 June 2020

Nordic Innovation has granted NOK 3 million to the project "Nordic Transition partnership", which aims to accelerate the transition to climate neutrality by 2030 in small and medium-sized municipalities. In the project, Viable Cities collaborates with Tampere in Finland, Reykjavik in Iceland and Smart Innovation Norway in Norway.

New on the blog: Covid-19 and the role of experts - Insights for a sustainable transition

29 May 2020

Clearly, the coronavirus crisis can teach us something about transition work. But what? That we should do what the experts say? This is what researchers Sofie Joosse and Martin Westin from the Viable Cities project Sustainable urban lifestyles through nudging and citizen participation discuss on our blog.

Apply for funding in two exciting calls

19 May 2020

Currently, Viable Cities has two calls open, one is a European collaboration and the other is about strengthening the innovation capacity of cities.

Climate smart reboot - cities as inspirers and blowtorches

April 24, 2020

Within the framework of Viable Cities, eight cities are now inspiring and inspiring other cities, in Sweden and around the world, so that as many as possible reach climate neutrality by 2030.

Eight Swedish cities take the lead in the climate transition

21 April 2020

On Thursday, April 23, eight Swedish cities will take a big step forward to accelerate the climate transition - Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Lund, Växjö, Uppsala, Umeå and Enköping. They want to lead, test and experiment to become climate neutral by 2030.

What happened in Viable Cities 2019?

19 April 2020

The Viable Cities annual report for 2019 is ready. A lot happened during the year, we launched the Viable Cities Transition Lab, many new exciting projects received funding and we organized and participated in many events.

European Viable Cities Day 2019 and working with "Missions"

6 February 2020

On 11 December 2019, Viable Cities and the European Commission organized the European Viable Cities Day for the second year in a row. This is the same day that the European Commission's Chairman Ursula von der Leyen presented The European Green Deal.

Are you Viable Cities' new communicator?

16 December 2019

We now need a team player for the program office at KTH Campus who can act strategically as well as quickly and efficiently.

Digital tomatoes and climate-smart events to speed up cities' climate transition

29 November 2019

Urban cultivation with waste heat from data centers and models of climate-smart music and sports events are examples of 12 projects receiving a total of €28 million to accelerate the climate transition.

New research anthology on innovation and urban development

October 9, 2019

A newly launched anthology that deepens and problematizes the discussion on innovation in cities, with a specific focus on Swedish conditions.

Don't miss our new blog series: AI in sustainable cities of the future

7 October 2019

It looks at the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) to enable the sustainable smart cities of the future.

Press release: Storytelling key to accelerating climate transition in cities

17 September 2019

One of Sweden's largest strategic innovation programs is Viable Cities, with a budget of over SEK 1 billion for research and innovation on smart, sustainable cities. The program, coordinated by KTH, aims to make cities climate neutral by 2030. Viable Cities has...

Press release: Swede to lead EU research and innovation programme on sustainable cities

September 11, 2019

The European Commission has appointed Allan Larsson, Chairman in the Swedish innovation program Viable Cities, as vice Chairman in the steering group that will lead the work within the EU on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities. - That the European Commission appoints our Chairman to such an important role...

Breakfast summed up Almedalen Week discussions on the transition to sustainable cities

September 11, 2019

About fifty early morning Almedalen visitors gathered for Thursday breakfast at Teaterskeppet to summarize the week's discussions on the transition to sustainable cities. The organizers were Sustainable Innovation, Viable Cities, Future Position X, Botkyrkabyggen, IoT Sweden, Smart Housing Småland, Visual Sweden and IQ Samhällsbyggnad. The expert panelists,...

Summary of Viable Cities in Almedalen 2019

September 11, 2019

Climate-neutral cities in 2030 were the focus of Viable Cities' participation during Almedalen Week 2019. A theme that was very topical. During the week, 3,700 events were held, bringing together 42,000 participants from a wide range of interest areas in society. Sustainability...

Press release: Nine cities receive millions in funding to accelerate the climate transition

July 8, 2019

The climate challenge is a critical issue where cities have a key role to play. From Lund in the south to Umeå in the north, nine cities are now receiving funding for projects that can accelerate the climate transition. The aim is to become climate neutral by 2030. The funding...

New report from Mo-Bo project on architecture for sustainable mobility

18 June 2019

On June 12, a final seminar was held within the innovation project Mo-Bo, funded by Viable Cities. In connection with this seminar, the report "Mo-Bo | Mobility services pave the way for innovative architecture" and a short leaflet "Steering towards new goals Residential blocks with parking...

Meet Viable Cities during Almedalen Week 2019

June 7, 2019

This year, Viable Cities is participating with its own events and as a co-organizer in others and in some cases as a speaker. Among other things, a seminar focusing on climate-neutral cities will be held on Monday, July 1 at 16.15 with the directors general of Vinnova,...

Strategy Day April 11, 2019

27 May 2019

Strategy Day 11 April 2019 MISSION: Climate neutral cities 2030 During the last year the program's focus has been sharpened and clarified and now has a strong focus on what we call our MISSION: Climate neutral cities in 2030. This...

Annual report Viable Cities 2017-2018

20 May 2019

Read the Viable Cities annual report for the first programming period between September 2017 and December 2018. In the report you can find a description of the activities across the first period of the program. Download the report

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Viable Cities is a strategic innovation program with the mission of achieving climate-neutral cities by 2030, ensuring a good quality of life for all within the planet’s limits. The program is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas and coordinated by KTH.

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